Programme Information

Trainee Nikitta discovers she has a good nose for wine

Michel Roux's trainees return to London, a city that ranks with Paris and Tokyo as one of the global capitals of fine dining. They now have only a few weeks left before he wants them to take over service at his own two Michelin-starred restaurant, and he needs them to learn a whole new set of skills. In fine-dining restaurants the waiters are permanently on display: presenting; carving; even cooking at table. Michel wants his trainees to embrace this theatre of fine dining, and start performing with grace and efficiency in front of their guests.

To test his trainees, Michel sets up their very own pop-up restaurant in the exclusive surroundings of the Kensington Roof Gardens in West London. Michel designs a special menu that will demand that they learn new skills: beef and lamb will be carved at table; Dover sole must be filleted; and dessert consists of crêpe suzette that must be flambéed in front of the guests.

The 60 guests who are booked for lunch are no strangers to fine dining. Food bloggers, restaurant critics and industry professionals, they will provide a robust test of the trainees' new skills.

To prepare them for the challenges ahead, Michel takes his charges to some of the most established restaurants in London. Under the guidance of head carver Gerry Rae, the trainees are taught to carve and fillet the finest cuts of meat at Simpsons On The Strand. Gerry has worked for 25 years, perfecting the precision of master carving.

Working with Simon Girling, restaurant manager at the Ritz, Michel's charges are taught the speed, judgement and finesse that goes into preparing crêpe suzette. With a pan and burner, the trainees learn the correct proportion of brandy, orange juice, zest and sugar that go into making this iconic dessert. The Ritz standard demands that a crêpe takes no longer than four minutes to prepare. Any more and one guest will have finished their dessert while another is still waiting.

Competition between the trainees to win one of two scholarships is intensifying. After his struggles with the butler-type service demanded at the five-star hotel last time, graduate James is determined to shine as this week's maitre'd. Nikitta, who when she met Michel described all wine as disgusting, finds she has a brilliant nose. And Brooke and Niki fall in love with the world of the sommelier at London's Greenhouse restaurant. One bottle of Chateau Petrus is listed at £25,000. "Don't drop it!" shouts Brooke.

At the Roof Gardens, it's the most highly pressurised service to date. The trainees have only had three days to hone their new skills, but after the terrible service at the five-star hotel last time, they are determined to show Michel that they can succeed. But will the demands of carving, filleting and flambéing for all the dining connoisseurs prove too much for the fledgling maitre'ds?

JL